Last week marked the demise of Gateway International Raceway, the only NASCAR venue in the St. Louis area. The track's owners, Dover Motorsports, Inc., noted a lack of revenue following the raceway's last NASCAR event on October 23, but the owners are currently in talks with several interested parties. Although some might miss the "vrooms," screeches, and crashes, it's still a usable venue, so we thought we'd ponder some ideas of what we could do with the vacant track. Have ideas of your own? Leave them in the comments.
1. Drive-in Movie Theater: There's only a couple in the area, and the large, vacant field/track could be a great place for movie-goers driving onto the field or sitting in the stands. St. Louis has a fairly active film culture, so a mix of new, classic, and independent films could attract a diverse audience.
2. Go-Cart Racing: So an oval might not be the most fun track for go-carts, usually driven around a curvy path, but if speed is your ambition, this could be the best go-cart track ever.
3. Rams Training Field: Rip out the track, leave the grandstand, paint some yard lines, and you'll get the perfect Metro East training venue for the Rams—one that lets the fans watch their team train and get excited for the upcoming season.
4. Olympic Track Venue: Maybe, one day. Until then, it could be used for track events, training, or an open exercise venue. The track, stairs in the grandstands, and open field could be great places to get in some serious cardio workouts. If we ever get the summer olympics, it would be in a great location near the Arch.
5. Summer Concert Venue: U2 recently announced their plans for a concert in Busch Stadium, but Gateway could be just as good of a venue for other summer concerts and music festivals. There's plenty of seating on the field and in the grandstand, which extends less high into the atmosphere than Busch, giving you a more close-up view of the band.
